Marion Police Chief Tyler Mermis rescued a neglected lapdog from substandard living conditions at 203 N. Roosevelt St. on April 26.

Mermis responded to a report of a Morkie that had allegedly received no attention from its owners in approximately two days.

“It was happy to see me,” Mermis said. “It had no food, no water, no dog tags, and it did not have proper shelter. Its cage didn’t have a roof.”

The Morkie, a dog breed that is a cross between a purebred Yorkshire terrier and a purebred Maltese, was contained within a homemade cage that Mermis said appeared made out of something similar to, and not much bigger than, a tomato cage.

He said nobody was home when he investigated, and the dog would likely have had to weather that day’s storm without a roof over its head had he not transported it to Animal Health Center in Marion.

“Later, I talked to the owner and she said her kids were supposed to water and feed it,” Mermis said, “but apparently they hadn’t.”

He learned the children were early elementary school age, no older than second grade.

Mermis encouraged pet owners to leave pets with someone who is of an age that can properly care for the animal if they need to be away for an extended period.

The Morkie owner was issued a citation alleging she was in direct violation of city code that requires providing pets with necessary and adequate care for their health and well-being.